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1977 Japanese Grand Prix
23 October |officialname = XII日本グランプリ |circuit = Fuji Speedway |location = Oyama, Japan |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.360 |laps = 73 |distance = 318.28 |pole = Mario Andretti |polenation = USA |poleteam = |poletime = 1:12.23 |fastestlap = 1:14.30 |fastestlapdriver = Jody Scheckter |fastestlapnation = RSA-1928 |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 71 |winner = James Hunt |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Carlos Reutemann |secondnation = ARG |secondteam = |third = Patrick Depailler |thirdnation = FRA |thirdteam = }} The 1977 Japanese Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XIII Japanese Grand Prix (XII日本グランプリ in Japanese), was the seventeenth and final round of the 1977 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Fuji Speedway on 23 October, 1977. The race would be marred by the deaths of a marshal and a photographer, both of whom were standing in a prohibited area.'Japanese GP, 1977', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr297.html, (Accessed 04/06/2018) Qualifying would see Mario Andretti claim pole position for , edging out James Hunt and the two s. Next up would be Jacques Laffite and Jody Scheckter, while World Champion Niki Lauda was, once again, absent. However, having once again taken pole, Andretti made a mess of his start, allowing Hunt to claim an early lead from Scheckter, who shot through from sixth on the grid. Indeed, Andretti would drag John Watson and Hans-Joachim Stuck down with him, although it was the American who ultimately fell furthest, dropping to eighth. Andretti instantly began to fight back through the field, although a collision with Laffite on lap two sent the Lotus spinning out of the race. Indeed, the impact was enough to cause a wheel from the #5 Lotus 78 to fly off onto the circuit, causing Hans Binder and Noritake Takahara to spin out of the race while taking avoiding action. The race soon settled, although as Hunt completed the sixth lap, Gilles Villeneuve misjudged his braking point and slammed into the front of Ronnie Peterson, sending his into the air. The Canadian then cartwheeled into the barriers, with debris from the smashed Ferrari striking a marshal and photographer with deadly force. Villeneuve escaped his ruined car uninjured, while a team of medical staff arrived to try and save the fatally injured victims. In spite of the seriousness of the accident, there would be no stop to the race, meaning Hunt continued to extend his advantage over Scheckter with ease. Indeed, Scheckter seemed to struggle in the early stages and so fell behind Jochen Mass and a resurgent Watson, although was able to move back ahead when the both fell to mechanical failures. Scheckter would then be overtaken by Clay Regazzoni, only for the Swiss racer to encounter an engine issue and retire. Carlos Reutemann was next to take the South African, but was immune to the curse of overtaking the and managed to carry on without issue. Laffite then lunged past the Ferrari to claim second, only to run out of fuel on the penultimate lap. With that the race was run, with Hunt cruising home a full minute ahead of Reutemann to claim his third victory of the season. Patrick Depailler survived well to claim third ahead of Alan Jones, while Laffite had enough of an advantage to take fifth ahead of Riccardo Patrese. Scheckter's pace deteriorated during the final lap, meaning he slipped down to tenth. There would be more controversy after the race, with Hunt and Reutemann leaving the circuit before the podium ceremony, a major insult to the Japanese organisers. After the race the podium ceremony would be made compulsory but, after receiving such an insult, the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix would be the last F1 race in Japan until 1987. Background The Japanese Grand Prix returned to serve as the finale for the season although, unlike the race twelve months earlier, there was really nothing on the table to fight for.A.H., 'The Japanese Grand Prix: Hunt leaves no doubt', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport, 01/12/1977), https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1977/44/japanese-grand-prix, (Accessed 04/06/2018) That, combined with the absence of pre-crowned Champion Niki Lauda, and ex-Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, there was relatively little attraction bar the sight of twenty plus Grand Prix cars to tempt in a large crowd. The knock on of this would be that there was a realistic chance that Fuji could not afford to host the race next season, although that would be an issue for the future. Into the entry list and, as had been hinted at with the absence of Fittipaldi, there would be far fewer entries for the Japanese Grand Prix, with several regular privateers, and constructors, also absent. In their place would be three local racers in their , Japanese shod, cars, two of which were s. Those were handed to Noritake Takahara and Kazuyoshi Hoshino, while Kunimitsu Takahashi appeared with Hoshino's old 007. Elsewhere, taking advantage of the less crowded field, would add a second car to their effort, partnering regular runner Jacques Laffite with Jean-Pierre Jarier. In contrast, were down to just a single entry after a paperwork issue that left them with just Alex Ribeiro on their books. Indeed, Ian Scheckter had been refused entry into Japan by virtue of having the wrong visa issued to him, which ultimately saw him back on a plane to London before the March team arrived at the Fuji circuit. There were changes too at , albeit a cosmetic one, with Gunnar Nilsson running in a unique red livery representing "Imperial Tobacco" for his final race with the team. Teammate Mario Andretti, meanwhile, would continue to use the familiar "John Player Special" livery that had come to define Team Lotus, with both cars otherwise unchanged since the race in Canada. The third 78 that usually served as the spare car was not shipped across the Pacific. Over at there was a promotion for Gilles Villeneuve, with the Canadian now officially registered as the team's second driver alongside Carlos Reutemann. This was because Lauda had now fully left the team along with his chief engineers, meaning there was a rather large vacancy in the #11 garage. It was therefore hoped by the Scuderia that Villeneuve's raw talent enthusiasm, combined with some quick fire internal promotions, would be enough to replace Lauda's deeply analytical style. , meanwhile, were unchanged since the race in Canada, although they only had two M26s for James Hunt and Jochen Mass after the former's accident at Mosport Park. , in contrast, arrived with a spare P34 for either Patrick Depailler or Ronnie Peterson, although they would prefer to use their usual race cars instead. were without a spare but also unchanged, although John Watson and Hans-Joachim Stuck would hope that their recent run of accidents and retirements would come to an end. There was little to report at , whom fielded usual pairing Alan Jones and Riccardo Patrese, as did with Hans Binder and Vittorio Brambilla. Next up were the two s of Clay Regazzoni and Patrick Tambay, which were, like most other cars, unchanged after their brawl in Canada. Completing the field would be Jody Scheckter in his , with the South African the only man with a fully dedicated spare car in Japan. As mentioned above, Lauda had already been declared as World Champion all of the interest in Canada had been placed on the fight for second, although very little had been resolved. Yet, victory for Jody Scheckter had meant that he had an eight point advantage over Andretti heading across the Pacific, meaning the American would have to win just to move ahead. Even then, Scheckter only had to finish fifth to secure the runner-up spot, although the mixed pace of the Wolf in the second half of the season meant anything was possible. In the International Cup for Constructors, there had been a change for third, with overtaking , leaving the latter squad out of the fight for second. Indeed, it was now between the Canadian constructor and the Norfolk based efforts as to who would finish the season as runner-up, with Lotus holding a seven point advantage. Wolf therefore needed a victory in Japan to claim second in the debut season, while Lotus only needed to have one of their drivers finish fifth or higher. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying was set to be staged across the usual four sessions across Friday and Saturday, with two "timed" periods on the former, before a lone "untimed" session was staged on Saturday prior to the final "qualifying" period. However, Friday's running had to be condensed into a single session, for the circuit doctor was late getting to the circuit. As for a target time, the aces in the field would be aiming for a 1:12.77, a time which had given Mario Andretti pole position in 1976. Friday Qualifying The delayed arrival of the circuit doctor meant that Friday's lone session would be staged for two hours, although even that change to schedule would not deter Andretti. Indeed, the American was on top form from the get go on Friday, and was quickly below his mark from 1976. Come the end of the day, Andretti had managed to record a 1:12.23, almost two tenths faster than his nearest challenger. That challenger would be James Hunt, although only after the Brit had commandeered teammate Jochen Mass' car during the early stages. The issue for the outgoing Champion was severe understeer, although his switch to Mass' car barely resolved his issues. Indeed, despite recording a 1:12.39 to go second fastest overall, Hunt would later remark that "Jochen has got stronger arm muscles than I have." Elsewhere, John Watson spent the afternoon running quickly in six lap bursts, before dragging his in for a top up of water. Regardless, the Ulsterman recorded a 1:13.20 to claim third fastest ahead of teammate Hans-Joachim Stuck, whose own Alfa F12 was not suffering from apparent dehydration. Indeed, the only issue for the Brabham-Alfas was the distance between themselves and the top two, with their Italian rivals finishing well down in the pecking order. Jean-Pierre Jarier, meanwhile, would initially be credited with a 1:13.23, splitting the two Martini liveried Brabhams, only to have his time re-adjusted to a more believable 1:14.25. Kazuyoshi Hoshino, meanwhile, would resume from where he had left off in 1976, recording an excellent effort of 1:13.55 in his , albeit using some very soft Bridgestone tyres. Indeed, it was such a strong time from the Japanese racer that it put him sixth on the provisional grid, and ahead of Gunnar Nilsson and Mass in Hunt's . Saturday Qualifying There would be no issues of absent doctors on Saturday, meaning the scheduled programme of an "untimed" morning session, followed by a final "timed" period, would be respected. In terms of the "untimed" period most of the field decided to experiment with the harder set of Goodyear tyres, although with varied results. Indeed, while Andretti would top the unofficial score board on the hard tyres, he deduced that the lack of grip would wear the front tyres as much as using the soft compound. Into the final blast for pole and, ultimately, no-one could challenge the times of Andretti and Hunt, with even those two unable to best their Friday best. However, Watson would come close now that his Alfa F12 had been cured of its dreadful thirst, recording a 1:12.49, a full half second faster than teammate Stuck in fourth. Jacques Laffite was next once the crew found a solution to his fuel mixture issues on Friday, just ahead of a very quiet Jody Scheckter. Other honourable mentions would be Hoshino, who claimed eleventh on the grid courtesy of his Friday time, while Noritake Takahara managed to oust the highly rated Gilles Villeneuve. Indeed, while the Canadian was really giving his all at the wheel of his Ferrari, inexperience combined with his new pitcrew meant that he was over a second slower than new teammate Carlos Reutemann. The Argentine himself had been fighting some very irritating handling issues, but managed to wrestle his Ferrari into the top ten. Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. *T Indicates a test/spare car. Grid Race Unlike the race staged twelve months earlier, race morning at Fuji was a bright, warm affair, with no sign of heavy rain to damped the spirits. The morning warm-up passed without issue, and, with no delays among the small support programme, the grid assembled on time. As such, the race would get underway dead on the 2:00pm start time, with Mario Andretti sitting in pole position. Report Unfortunately, while he had the advantage in qualifying, Andretti would make a mess of his start, allowing James Hunt to streak into the lead. Indeed, Andretti's wheel spinning would disappear into the middle of the pack, as Jody Scheckter and Clay Regazzoni shot through to chase after Hunt. The latter would ultimately be relegated to fourth by Jochen Mass into the first corner, although only after the German racer had thrown his up the inside of the . After a rather tame opening lap it was still Hunt leading from Scheckter, Mass and Regazzoni, although the Brit already had a second advantage over his chasers. Behind Regazzoni came John Watson and Jacques Laffite, while Andretti followed Hans-Joachim Stuck through in eighth, just ahead of Carlos Reutemann. That was not to last, however, for Andretti sent his Lotus skating past Stuck into turn one at the start of lap two, a sign of his personal frustration of having made a poor start. Ultimately it would be that frustration that proved to be the American's undoing, for the #5 Lotus was soon sailing towards the barriers and into retirement. Indeed, as Andretti tried to run around the outside of Jacques Laffite through "100R", the moved across to take the racing line, causing the two to make contact. The rear left of the Ligier broke the right-front of Andretti's Lotus, with the American powerless to prevent the car from shattering into the barriers. The force of the impact with the barrier managed to remove the left rear wheel from the Lotus 78, which duly flicked back towards the circuit. The wheel duly landed in the path of Noritake Takahara, who was powerless to prevent his striking it at full speed, ending his race on the spot. Hans Binder then had to take avoiding action and so spun onto the grass, although neither he, Takahara, nor Andretti were injured as they climbed out of their cockpits unaided. After that the race began to settle down, with Hunt pulling clear out front, while Scheckter slipped behind both Mass and Watson. Scheckter's issues came from his 's tendency to understeer, an issue that was enhanced by the layout of the Fuji Speedway. As such, the Wolf was soon under pressure from Regazzoni, while Stuck was leading a queue of cars a few seconds back after picking up his own handling issues. takes a rather fateful flight towards the barriers after striking Ronnie Peterson.]]At the back of the Stuck queue would be Ronnie Peterson although on lap six, with the assistance of Gilles Villeneuve, the Swede was about to get involved in a life taking accident. Coming into the tight Daiichi corner at the end of the start/finish straight, the young Canadian misjudged his braking point and duly slammed into the side of Peterson's . Momentum then carried the over the top of Peterson's car, which also flicked the car into a series of end-over-end somersaults towards the barriers. Villeneuve was therefore powerless to prevent his car slamming into the barriers, only escaping uninjured by virtue of his small stature, which allowed him to tuck himself into his cockpit. A nearby marshal and photographer, however, was less fortunate, and were both struck by pieces of shattered Ferrari as it slammed atop the barriers. An emergency medical team quickly arrived on the scene but found there was little they could do for either the photographer of marshal, while Villeneuve and Peterson escaped remarkably without injury. The race would again settle after that incident, with twenty laps passing before another series of incidents reset the order. Indeed, as Hunt started his 29th tour of Fiji, teammate Mass suffered a catastrophic engine failure in the sister car, coasting to a stop at the end of the straight in a cloud of smoke and steam. Watson duly inherited second but suffered a gearbox failure later on on the same lap, meaning it was Schectker's ailing Wolf that now led the chase behind the outgoing Champion. However, the Wolf was still not over its understeer issue, and, after a brief pause, was under attack from Regazzoni's into Daiichi. Indeed, the Swiss racer sent his car lunging inside the Wolf on the brakes, leaving Scheckter to try and hold on around the outside. Regazzoni, however, was not to be denied and powered past on the exit, prompting Scheckter to stop at the end of the lap for a new set of tyres and some wing adjustments. Regazzoni was now a safe second from Reutemann, although the Ensign was beginning to lose oil every time the Swiss racer went into a right hander. Ultimately this rather bizarre issue would cause the Ensign to lose all of its oil pressure on lap 43, forcing Regazzoni into the pits to retire. That duly promoted Reutemann into second, although he was looking in the mirrors to check on the progress of the now charging Laffite. tried in vain to keep Jacques Laffite at bay mid-race.]]Indeed, having deduced that he had escaped from his early incident with Andretti without damage, Laffite's Ligier was now one of the fastest cars int he field, and rapidly closing in on the Argentine's Ferrari. After a six lap tussle with Gunnar Nilsson's scarlet Lotus, the Frenchman had been released to catch Reutemann, and duly sent his Ligier scything past the Ferrari into Daiichi on lap 48. Laffite duly sprinted off to secure himself in second, while Reutemann was left with a comfortable advantage over Nilsson. Nilsson himself, meanwhile, was having to put up a ferocious rear-guard action against Alan Jones, although with 30 laps to go it seemed as if the Swede would hold out. Unfortunately for him curse of the fragile Lotus was never too far away, and, on lap 58, Nilsson's gearbox missed a beat and allowed Jones to shoot past. Nilsson held out for another four laps before Patrick Depailler passed with ease, prompting him to stop in the pits and retire having lost access to most of his gears. That seemed to be it for the race, until a heartbreaking moment on the final lap shuffled the order once again. Indeed, with half a lap to go and having got within ten seconds of Hunt, Laffite's V12 drank the last of its fuel, causing the Frenchman to coast to a stop. Reutemann duly inherited second, while Depailler caught and passed Jones as the Australian was informed of the Ligier's demise. Out front, meanwhile, Hunt would majestically sweep through to claim a dominant victory for McLaren, having nursed his car through since the early stages to preserve his front tyres. Reutemann was next ahead of Depailler, while Jones tried in vain to repass the Frenchman on the final tour. Laffite was given some consolation by being classified in fifth ahead of Patrese, while Scheckter collected fastest lap en-route to finishing tenth. Post race After the race there would be a minor international incident, for neither Hunt nor Reutemann bothered to attend the podium ceremony, with both heading to airport the moment they stepped out of their cockpits. Insulted by his actions, the Japanese press would go into overdrive with criticism of the Brit, in spite of his impressive performance. It also resulted in a rather surreal experience for Depailler, who was the only man to stand on the podium, alongside his engineer. This incident, combined with the Villeneve-Peterson crash, would be a major contributor to the cancellation of the Japanese Grand Prix in . Results The full race results for the are outlined below: ** Laffite was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * Second Japanese Grand Prix to be staged. ** It would also be the last Japanese Grand Prix to be staged until 1987. * started their 50th Grand Prix. * Gunnar Nilsson made his 31st and final start. * Debut race for Kunimitsu Takahashi.'1977 Japanese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2018), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1977&gp=Japanese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 04/06/2018) * Mario Andretti claimed the 75th pole position for as a constructor. ** earned their 95th pole as an engine builder. ** This was also the 100th pole set using a set of Goodyear tyres. * Tenth and final victory for James Hunt.'17. Japan 1977', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1977/japon.aspx, (Accessed 04/06/2018) * claimed their 24th victory as a constructor. ** Engine partner powered a car to an 108th triumph. * Patrick Depailler claimed the 60th podium finish for as a constructor. * Maiden points finish for Riccardo Patrese. * Jody Scheckter set his fifth and final fastest lap. ** This was also the second and final fastest lap set by a chassis. Standings Niki Lauda had long since been declared as World Champion, meaning the fight for second was all that was to be resolved in Japan. Ultimately, with both Jody Scheckter and Mario Andretti failing to score, the runner-up spot in would fall to the South African, beating the Italian-American by eight points. Carlos Reutemann ended the season fourth ahead of race winner James Hunt, while Riccardo Patrese entered the top twenty at the final attempt with his maiden points finish. Like their now ex-driver Lauda, had already been declared as the International Cup for Constructors Champions, once again meaning it was the runner-up spot that was up for grabs. Ultimately, ended the season in second, having just enough of an advantage to hold at bay. The latter squad overhauled to claim third, while just edged out on count-back for fifth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * F1-history, 'Gunnar Nilsson | Jacques Laffite (Japan 1977)', deviantart.com, (DeviantArt, 06/03/2016), https://f1-history.deviantart.com/art/Gunnar-Nilsson-Jacques-Laffite-Japan-1977-595058650, (Accessed 04/06/2018) * F1-history, 'Ronnie Peterson | Gilles Villeneuve (Japan 1977)', deviantart.com, (DeviantArt, 19/11/2012), https://f1-history.deviantart.com/art/Ronnie-Peterson-Gilles-Villeneuve-Japan-1977-338626109, (Accessed 04/06/2018) References: Category:1977 Grands Prix Category:Japanese Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Japan